Ancient Egyptian Clothing

The clothing of Egyptian pharaohs changed largely from that of the common Egyptian man. The only similarities in clothing were the robe and materials. The pharaoh was meant to show a particular example of cleanliness and wealth through his outfit. In addition to main clothing items, pharaohs wore decorated sandals and large amounts of jewelry.

Fabric - Linen fabric is mostly worn by Egyptians - Pharaohs. The linen worn by pharaohs was mostly transparent; this was a visible image of wealth. Linen was made from flax, a plant found only in the area. 

False beard - was worn by several pharaohs. These were attached by using thin leather wraps around their beard. 

Nemes - Pharaohs wore a head piece known as a nemes. The nemes was originally made of a single colored piece of linen and evolved over time.

Shendyt - was the focal piece of the outfit in a pharaohs collective. It was placed at the right hip and wrapped around the body, back front, with detailed pleating.

Robe - worn by Egyptian men over their outfits. The outfit, in the pharaohs wardrobe, was to be the most transparent. 

Khol - A dark dye, called Khol, was applied around the pharaoh's eyes to protect infections and reduce sun glare in the desert climate.

Drawing of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra

During the ancient Egypt, the first civilization was known to use cosmetics, allowing available to us today. This allows the rich and the poor, men and women, using kohl onto the eyes. The reason by using cosmetics is not only for appearance but also to protect their eyes against the sun, flies, improve eyesight and ward off evil spirits.

In ancient Egypt, kohl was made up of lead, copper, soot and other ingredients.

Fashion Today

A British designer Alice Temperley shows off her stunning Autumn Winter 2013 collection, Byrd at  London Fashion week. The designer was inspired by Hitchcock's heroine Tippi Hedren from 'The Birds'. The colours various from black, gold and white. I think the gold colour is the highlight section from this collection. The upper section of the collar brings out the theme clearly from the Egyptian style. 

This photo shows an Egyptian inspired piece made by Oscar De La Renta for the Spring of 2008 season. It is a long elegant gold sequin gown with jewels around the neck. I really like this eye-catching dress. 

Textures are similar to bead-net dresses, wide coloured bands and patterns are similar to wide jeweled necklaces. The upper section is similar to a triangular apron. This outfit reminds me of carnival.

This is an Egyptian, gold plate and gemstone statement collar necklace with embroided beads. Nowadays, is commonly fashionable with types of clothing to match.

This is the modern equivalent of the Egyptian shendyt. A more common term for skirts made for men is a wrap. I don't like this look because skirts aren't meant to be worn by men.

eHow. 2014. what did Ancient Egypt Pharaohs wear?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5744988_did-ancient-egypt-pharaohs-wear_.html. [Accessed 20 May 14].

Diverse Philosophies. 2014. In the eye of the beholder. [ONLINE] Available at: http://diversephilosophies.wordpress.com/tag/egypt/ . [Accessed 20 May 2014].